This invention relates to quantitative methods for evaluating the effectiveness of a particular communication.
More particularly, the invention concerns a method for quantifying the effectiveness of creativity in communications, thus enabling advertisers to preselect the best communication strategies, themes and executions for their purpose so as to maximize the persuasive effect and cost effectiveness of media expenditure.
Mass communications such as television, print, radio and the Internet are used by the sponsors of products, services, or social ideas to present their offerings to the public. These communications are professionally prepared and placed by advertising and public relations agencies who are paid a fee for this purpose. Because of the high cost of media, as well as the desire to persuade as large an audience as possible, methods have been created to evaluate concepts and executions on the part of advertisers, promoters, political organizations and the like. Such methods are commonly referred to as concept testing or pre-testing and have been performed using field surveys, personal interviews and focus groups to generate and evaluate a communication concept before it is run to modify, select or reject it. Testing is typically conducted by professional market research agencies which recruit samples of respondents statistically representative of the prospective audience to create a test audience. The research process may be quantitative, meaning the findings are projectable by the use of mathematical sampling theory; or may be qualitative, in which the responses of individuals are noted. Because quantitative findings cannot be statistically projected, judgement rather than sampling theory is used to make decisions regarding the subject communication.
The market research agencies recruit the respondents for pretesting, administer the test questions and collect and process the answers to questions. If the testing is quantitative, a questionnaire is used and answers are recorded either by the interviewer or by the respondent. In order to eliminate position bias, the question sequences are normally rotated. The data recorded may include one or more measure of the respondents interest in the product or service communicated, and attitude toward it, as well as such control data as demographics, brand preferences and purchasing habits.
Existing techniques for measuring the effectiveness of communication include techniques often called pre-post, comparative, recall, normative levels and on-air. The pre-post technique requires the recording of a respondent's attitude toward a product both before and after seeing an advertisement. A typical overall measure of the respondent's interest in buying the product is measured on a 1-10 scale. The comparative technique requires providing several advertisements to a respondent at one time and comparing their effectiveness in terms of buying interest and attitudes to the product attributes. The recall technique involves showing respondents several advertisements and thereafter asking them to name those which they can recall. Meanwhile, the normative levels technique involves comparison of a communication test sample with the average levels of similar, previous tests among similar products, which are used as performance bench marks. Finally, the on-air technique entails placing recording devices in sample respondent's homes to record their viewing patterns.
Testing techniques for determining the effectiveness of communication are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,647,964 and 5,041,972. U.S. Pat. No. 4,647,964 discloses an apparatus including a television monitor connected to three (3) distinct video tape recorders. A respondent controls a switch interconnected to the video recorders so that only one program is in operation at any one time. The respondent's viewing patterns are then analyzed to determine the effectiveness of television commercials. U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,972 discloses the use of a linear attribute scale ranging from 0-10. Using a handheld controller, the respondent causes a cursor to move along the attribute scale for computer recording.
Many of the above test methods seek to isolate the advertisement from extraneous factors for clinical assessment. Other test methods seek to increase the realism of the test environment by inserting the test advertisement among other advertisements as they would appear in print or television. Sometimes these methods will be combined. However, these conventional tests do not measure the "creativity" of the advertisement. Instead the testing techniques measure the combined effects of the attributes of the product, the already established goodwill of the company, popularity of the particular item being sold, as well as the creativity of the advertisement.
Creativity is the novel way in which a message is presented with the intent of drawing attention to a particular audience, positioning a product as appealing as possible, and generating interest in the purchase of the item. The use of humor, color, situation, demonstration, etc. adds to the interest in appeal of a product. Conversely, misjudged creativity can detract from the appeal of a product. Furthermore, creativity can increase the persuasive power of a message by attracting greater attention or changing important audience attitudes, or can negate a message by being dull, setting the wrong tone, or giving offense. Creativity is of crucial importance to advertisers because it can achieve more without having to cost more.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide a method for quantitatively measuring the creative value added to a communication, such as a print, television or radio advertisement.